making news in america on this labor day morning, the road to chartd. >> president obama is in an important battleground state today. democrats prepare for their national convention. here's a taste of what is left in isaac's aftermath. widespre widespread flooding. summertime temps. a horrific crash at an air show in iowa. the plit loses control and plunges to his death. fears about michael jackson's state of mind before his death. one of them calling him, quote,

a bas accouket case." good morning. we begin this labor day with a busy working holiday in the presidential race. >> this morning, delegates will begin arriving in charlotte, north carolina, for the convention. brandi hitt is in charlotte, already. good morning, brandi. >> reporter: today, they're taking over the streets of charlotte. they're starting to put up a stage behind me. this is a kickoff party. in fact, the first big name to arrive today is first lady michelle obama. >> it is time to move forward, that's the choice in this election. >> reporter: this week, it's the democrats' turn to rally support behind president obama and his bid for a second term.

the stage is set in charlotte, with democrats billing their national convention the most open convention in history. >> front row, right up front and personal. >> reporter: democrats are using star power to get their message across, all week long. including appearances by eva lon goe ya, james taylor, mary j. blige, and the foo fighters. they're in bank of america stadium. >> all: enough is enough. >> reporter: hundreds protested the big banks on the streets on friday. on his tour, the president continues to criticize his opponent's speech. >> the governor knows the secret to growing jobs and helping the economy. nobody bothered to tell us what they were. >> this president cannot tell us

you're better off today than when he got to office. >> reporter: a poll showed romney with a slight lead now shows the two are tied, with two months until election day. >> in tampa, paul ryan asked the question, why should the next four years be any different from the last four without new leadership. barack obama has to answer that question. >> reporter: while democrats celebrate this week, mitt romney will spend the week preparing for the upcoming debate. rob and paula, back to you. >> those debates could be critical. brandi hitt in charlotte for us. she'll be there all week. president obama is reacting to clint eastwood's odd appearance at last week's republican convention. telling "usa today" that he's still a huge eastwood bit. the president says if you're easily offended, you should

probably choose another professi profession. this 25-foot sand sculpture is drawing attention in charlotte. >> interesting likeness. adds for the republican ticket, mitt romney is doing the debate prep at his vacation home in new hampshire. while running mate paul ryan will is in the tar heel state of north carolina holding a rally in greenville at eastern carolina university. speaking of the notoriously fit ryan, he has been forced to back trak about a marathon statement he gave. he said last week he ran a marathon in under three hours.

it's been resernlgd and he finished in just over four hours. an apparent terrorist attack in peshawar has left two americans dead. the explosion was to big, it severely damaged most of the buildings around it. two employees were injured in the attack. no one has claimed responsibility in the bombing yet. more information as we get it. a new tally showing the devastating toll of syria's civil wars. activists group say 5,000 people were killed there this august, making it the bloodiest month in a year of fighting. they blame president assad's air >> a staggering number. 20,000 in all. after campaigning in ohio this morning, the president

travels to louisiana to see the damage from isaac firsthand. 200,000 people with still without power nearly a week after the storm hit. thousands of folks are unable to return home. there are new worries about the west pearl river. it's supposed to crest later today at about five feet above flood level. that storm has spawned 44 reported tornadoes since it came ashore last week. on saturday, damage to the town of corning, arkansas. the threat of rain and flooding lingers in the south. >> isaac taking in all kinds of forms. marine experts in florida are trying to save five whales. 22 in all were stranded on the sands of a state park in fort pierce. it's believed one of the whales may have been sick and the others followed it ashore. the five survivors are showing

signs of improvement. and marine biologists don't foe what killed a 13-foot-long shark that washed up on shore in massachusetts over the weekend. the beaches were closed for awhile but they'll be open again today. a forest fire burning out of control in the southern california mountains has forced thousands to evacuate. the fire brek out yesterday in the angeles national forest. the smoke is so thick it could be seen in downtown l.a. time for the labor day forecast. enormous the southwest. hail, gusty winds in the dako s dakotas. heavy rain and flooding from the ohio and tennessee valleys to the mid-atlantic, carolinas, and atlanta. >> triple digits in dallas and phoenix. 70s in the pacific knnorthwest.

why today is a good day to buy a car. i know it's a good day to go shopping but car shopping? >> not bad. get ready for a flood of new tech product this is week. plus the air show disaster we showed you earlier. investigators looking into what went so wrong.

welcome back on this monday

morning. it's rivals are trying to beat's toll the punch. am is expected to unveil a new iphone and mini-ipad next week. samsung and sony unveiled new phones last week. there are other events held this week that are expected to include a new kindle fire tablet. the auto industry is expected to be a key subject in this year's election. gm and chrysler are again profitable after receiving bailout money. which, of course, was opposed by many republicans. this might be a good day to give some of your money to the auto industry. several major companies are offering big incentives to dealers to sell their cars. that could lead to deep discounts and generous tradins for you as the dealers try to make their quote thats. those online reviews can be

crucial to a restaurant's success. half a star in a rating significantly increases business, sometimes by nearly 20%. >> i'm a big believer in those surveys. the box office on the final weekend of the summer is in the possession of a horror film. "the possession" was the leader in what is traditionally a slow weekend at the box office. the movie, "lawless" opened wednesday, came in second with 10 million bucks. the expendables 2 was third with $9 million. >> theater owners may have to pay more for popcorn, too. the drought has hurt the popcorn harvest. that smels good on tv. >> retail prices are up by as much as 50%. one analyst says theater owners may have to absorb the increase because their popcorn prices are already so high. ain't that the truth.

>> a little more butter. when we come back, fans at a truck race get way too close to the action. and some friend who is just love doing weird stuff with their facial hair. yeah. stick around for that. we'll be right back. [ sniffs ] bacon?! gotta get that bacon! bacon?! bacon! smokey bacon, meaty bacon, tasty bacon! bacon? ohh, la, la... oh, i say, is that bacon?! oh, good heavens! bacon! bacon! bacon! bacon! who wants a beggin' strip? meee! i'd get it myself but i don't have thumbs! yum, yum, yum, yum, yum... it's bacon!!! mmm i love you, i love bacon. i love you. i love bacon. i love you. beggin' strips! there's no time like beggin' time. and check out beggin' thick cut. i'm gonna need a bigger mouth! and also to build my career. so i'm not about to always let my frequent bladder urges, or the worry my pipes might leak get in the way of my busy lifestyle. that's why i take care, with vesicare.

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breezy, beautiful, covergirl! covergirl! they're whole grain good... and yummy good. real fruit pieces. 12 grams of whole grains and a creamy yogurt flavored coating. quaker yogurt granola bars. treat yourself good. now for a look at your morning road conditions. heavy rain drenches highways from birmingham and at lan to to the ohio valley. if you're flying on this holiday, airport delays possible on the east coast from philly, atlanta, nashville, philadelphia, omaha and phoenix. back to the news this morning. new questions being raise about the safety of air shows after another deadly crash over the weekend. >> officials are trying to

figure out what caused an experienced pilot to plunge to the ground. >> reporter: it was a spectacular, trouble-free flight until this. >> oh, it just crashed. >> reporter: flying in tight formation in iowa, this soviet-era secret branks to the ground, never recovering. again smith, a veteran pilot, was killed. >> he went nose down into the ground and burst into flames. >> reporter: since 1988, air show accidents have killed 100 350i89s and perform mers. here in colorado, a terrible crash that killed 20 people back in the '50s led to phew rules. planes must stay 500 to 1500 feet away from crowds and avoid flying toward people. >> there hasn't been a spectator fatality since 1952. >> reporter: but there are new

rules when it comes to the world of air races. after this crash last september. a p-51 mustang slams into the crowd in reno, nevada. 11 people were killed. federal investigators found the plane has modifications that were undocumented and untested. this spring, the ntsb call for stricter rules and changes to the race course. >> you're going to see people flying airplanes to the edge of the envelope. that means also that there's just a bit of assumed risk for any audience member. >> reporter: for many, a thrill with a risk worth taking. clayton sandell, abc news, denv denver. in oregon, a monster truck went out of control and headed straight to spectators. cameras were rolling when the truck careens toward that crowd. three people were hurt, including a fath and his 11-year-old son. the driver will not be charged.

wow. also, a monster five-alarm fire in oregon as a vacant inn burned on hayden island. the fire spread across the 14-ager property. a report out this morning could explain why the navy s.e.a.l. might have written a book about the killing of osama bin laden. "the new york times" says a new ebook says the author of no easy day had bad blood with his new unit. the ebook says he was pushed out of s.e.a.l. team six. the book is due out today. >> that book continues to generate controversy. let's turn to sports news this morning. the last monday without monday night football for a few months. >> we'll have football through february. let's get highlights from other sports now from espn.

>> doug kezirian here with your espnnews update. we start on the track. two races to go until the chase for the championship. 45 laps remaining. martin truex jr. makes the inside pass on denny hamlin to take the lead. fast forward, five laps to go. jamie mcmurray, blowing a right tire, sparks flying. that brings out a caution. as for this race, sometimes, a 325-lap race will come down to the final two laps. off a restart, hamlin out in front. jeff gordon trying to pass him on the high road. instead, hamlin takes the checkered flag. with that win, he punches his ticket for the chase for the championsh championship. let's go to baseball. the tigers hosting the white sox. detroit has won six straight meetings. their ace, on the bump, justin

verlander, one of 11 strikeouts. he has four straight seasons of at least 200 ks. a 1-1 game in the sixth. men on first and second for delmon young. he takes chris sail deep. chris sale not happy. tigers and white sox now tied across the a.l. central with detroit sweeping the south siders. have a great day. i'm doug kezirian. a bizarre contest over the weekend. a group of men who really love their facial hair competed for best beard and mustache in lansing michigan. they were judged on fierceness. >> judges looked for how well the hair fit the personality. some of the guys getting a head start on hunting season. >> that looks insane to me. i don't know how he handles

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it is "pulse" time. three years after his death, new insights into michael jackson's final days. >> proe motors of his upcoming

concert has doubts. one called him a basket case. >> other e-mails called jackson drunk and despondent and an emotionally paralyzed mess. moving on. oscar winning actor russing crow found himself at the center of a real-life drama. >> he got lost kayaking off new york. they came to a beach and flagged down a patrol. >> crowe was on long island working on a film called noah. finally, with the nfl set to open wednesday, it's time for fantasy football. by one estimate, it generates over $1 billion in profit. >> some 75% of the fantasy sport

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in the top story, republican presidential nominee mitt romney is pairing for upcoming debates. >> democrats gather in charlotte, north carolina, for in week's convention, the president atepids a uaw labor rally in toledo. he'll go to louisiana to tour damage later on. hundreds of residents are waiting for the power to come back a week after isaac. remnants of the storm are still dumping rain across arkansas and bringing the threat of severe weather. heavy rain from ohio to the mid-atlantic and the deep south. thunderstorms in the southern rockies. and finally, on this trail of the disappearing red panda.

one of the cutest creatures on the planet. they are on the edge of extinction. >> dan harris traveled across the globe to place the red panda calls home. he found clues to their past closer to us. >> reporter: when the children press their noses up to the glass, captivated by these red panda cubs, they're staring into the face of a mystery. why is this animal, which once roamed vast regions of the earth now on the brink of extinction? our search for clues took us to the other side of the world, to the small sliver of the planet where red ban das can be found in the wild. these are the foot hills of the himalayan mountains. d darjeeling, india. this is one of the most

successful red panda breeding centers in the world. they've hooked up male and female hoping they'll make a love connection. maybe some day those offspring can be returned to the wild. here this the foothills of another mountain range, the blue ridge mountains of tennessee. >> needless to say, i was not expecting a red panda. this is the best fossil of red pandas anywhere. >> reporter: it's the shape and size of that tooth that links this 4 to 7 million-year-old panda to the ones today living a world away. why did day disappear? one theory is rack coops moved in and started competing for the same food. the luck of the red panda is running out fast. they believe there are less than 10,000 left in the wild. it makes the match making happening in this cage in india more critical as this adorable creature fights for its very survival.